# Nebraska Table of Authorities: Brief and Page Rules

> Nebraska appellate authority tables under § 2-109: alphabetical entries, cover-first pagination, propositions of law and Word export.

*Updated: 2026-10-14*

**Nebraska appellate opening briefs require an alphabetically arranged table of cases, statutes and other cited authorities, with the brief pages where they are cited.** Nebraska Court Rule § 2-109(D)(1)(b) applies to the appellant and to a plaintiff in an original action. The table belongs near the beginning, after the cover and alongside the table of contents. Nebraska’s cover-first page numbering and its separate lists beneath propositions of law make a generic federal template a poor starting point.

[Build and review your Nebraska table of authorities](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool). Use the standard format: there is no Nebraska-specific preset. Confirm the actual court and table settings before export; detected courts and samples can change the initial selection.

**Fast facts**

- Court scope: Nebraska Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; not an automatic requirement for every trial-court memorandum.
- Opening brief: § 2-109(D)(1)(b) expressly requires cases, statutes and other authorities, arranged alphabetically, with brief-page references.
- Appellee: § 2-109(D)(2)(a) specifically says table of contents and table of cases cited. Reply briefs follow the appellee preparation rule under (D)(5).
- Pagination: § 2-103(C)(2) starts the cover at page one; display numbers on every page except the cover.
- The authorities table counts toward the maximum word count under § 2-103(C)(3)(c).
- Official live rules read on 2026-10-14. The displayed amendment histories end June 18, 2025 for § 2-109 and November 17, 2021 for § 2-103.

## The governing content requirement

> “A table of contents with page references, and an alphabetically arranged table of cases, statutes, and other authorities cited, with references to the pages of the brief where cited” — § 2-109(D)(1)(b).

Read the provisions for your particular role rather than treating all briefs as identical. The opening-brief rule names the full authority range; the appellee provision uses the narrower wording “table of cases cited.” Including additional cited authority categories can be a useful navigational choice, but do not describe the appellee provision as if it repeats the opening requirement verbatim. A cross-appeal appears in a separate section prepared under the appellant rules. A reply is prepared in the same manner as an appellee brief. Motions and rehearing briefs have their own governing provisions; this guide does not extend the ordinary opening-brief table requirement to every filing.

**Nebraska filing and pagination matrix**

| Filing or issue | Requirement and review action |
| --- | --- |
| Appellant or original-action plaintiff | Alphabetical cases, statutes and other authorities; brief pages under (D)(1)(b). |
| Appellee or original-action defendant | Table of contents and table of cases cited under (D)(2)(a). |
| Cross-appeal section | Separate “Brief on Cross-Appeal”; appellant preparation rules apply under (D)(4). |
| Reply brief | Appellee preparation rules apply under (D)(5); inspect reply-specific citations. |
| Front matter | Cover is page 1; continue sequential numbering, not a Roman-numeral preliminary series. |
| Propositions of law | Supporting authority lists follow each proposition; those lists do not replace the opening table. |

## Two authority lists serve different purposes

Section 2-109(D)(1)(f) requires separate numbered propositions of law, each followed by supporting authorities, with preference given to those deemed most important. Those proposition lists organize legal support by proposition. The opening table instead organizes the cited authorities alphabetically so a reader can locate them throughout the brief. Do not sort the main table by importance merely because the proposition lists use that preference. Review citations in both locations when collecting page references.

Section 2-109(C)(4) requires reported-case references to identify the title, volume and page, deciding tribunal and decision year. Nebraska cases must use Nebraska Reports and/or Nebraska Appellate Reports; other reporter citations may also be included. Keep the full identification when reconciling short forms. A reporter pinpoint identifies a location in a judicial opinion, not the page of your brief. Transcript references such as (T26), bill-of-exceptions references such as (156:12), and exhibit references are record locators, not cases or statutes to add automatically to the authorities table.

## From a brief PDF to an editable Word table

- **Export the brief to PDF.** Retain matching Word for insertion. Use printed brief pages, not viewer sheet numbers. Count Nebraska’s cover as page 1 even when its number is suppressed.
- **Open the [Table of Authorities generator](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool).** Confirm standard-format settings, heading, categories and alphabetical order.
- **Review every entry and page against the PDF.** Check complete citations and short forms, merge genuine duplicates and add omissions. Inspect propositions-of-law pages as well as argument. The app does not restyle citations.
- **Export editable Word.** PDF-only downloads a .docx table. Matching Word plus a text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text. DOCX-only instead creates TA and TOA fields for Word for Windows to build and update.
- **Re-export and recheck.** Insertion and later edits can move references. Inspect the final PDF and regenerate if needed. Check all other filing requirements separately; the tool does not format the whole brief or add PDF bookmarks.

For example, if a citation appears on the ninth PDF sheet and the brief starts numbering with its cover, its reference normally tracks page 9, not a page number calculated after excluding front matter. This is a hypothetical pagination illustration, not a court-approved sample. Confirm your actual final document. Section 2-103 also requires a converted, fully text-searchable PDF for electronic filings, left-aligned text, specified margins and fonts, and no footnotes; generating a table does not enforce those document-wide requirements.

> **Build a Nebraska appellate authority table:** Build a reviewable authorities table with Brief Authority, then check it against your filing’s rules. Free. No account required. Your document is processed on your device; it is not uploaded to a server. Use standard-format settings and preserve Nebraska’s cover-first pagination.

[Build my authorities table](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool)

Free. No account. Your brief stays in your browser, never uploaded.

## Frequently asked

**Does Nebraska require Roman numerals for the table?**

No. Section 2-103(C)(2) begins numbering with the cover as page one and requires displayed numbers on all pages except the cover. Avoid importing a Roman-numeral federal front-matter scheme.

**Does the table count toward the word limit?**

Yes. Section 2-103(C)(3)(c) includes the cover, contents, authorities table and signature blocks. The certificate has its own exclusion. Check the assembled brief rather than counting only the argument.

**Can proposition-of-law authority lists replace the table?**

No for an opening brief. The propositions requirement in (D)(1)(f) and the alphabetical table requirement in (D)(1)(b) are separate components with different organizational purposes.

**Must every Nebraska trial motion have this table?**

This guide addresses the appellate rules. A trial-court motion or memorandum requires a separate check of governing trial rules, local requirements and the judge’s order.

**Can I replace repeated page numbers with passim?**

The cited table provision calls for references to brief pages and does not supply a passim exception. Use accurate page references rather than treating silence as permission to substitute passim.

**Sources and access status**

- [Nebraska Judicial Branch: § 2-109, Briefs; constitutional questions](https://nebraskajudicial.gov/supreme-court-rules/chapter-2-appeals/article-1-nebraska-court-rules-appellate-practice/%C2%A7-2-109-briefs-constitutional-questions): Official live HTML read 2026-10-14, including (C), (D)(1)–(5). Displayed history includes June 18, 2025 amendment to (F). Original supremecourt.nebraska.gov URL redirects to this official domain.
- [Nebraska Judicial Branch: § 2-103, General formatting and service rules](https://nebraskajudicial.gov/supreme-court-rules/chapter-2-appeals/article-1-nebraska-court-rules-appellate-practice/%C2%A7-2-103-general-formatting-and-service-rules): Official live HTML read 2026-10-14, including cover-first pagination, table-inclusive word count and searchable-PDF requirements. Displayed latest amendment November 17, 2021, effective January 1, 2022.

**Useful next steps**

- [Table of authorities rules by state](/table-of-authorities-by-state): Compare terminology and filing-specific requirements.
- [Table of authorities format](/table-of-authorities-format): Review entries, categories and page references.
- [Table of authorities from a PDF](/table-of-authorities-from-pdf): Understand the PDF-to-Word review workflow.

**Sources**

- [Nebraska Judicial Branch: § 2-109, Briefs; constitutional questions](https://nebraskajudicial.gov/supreme-court-rules/chapter-2-appeals/article-1-nebraska-court-rules-appellate-practice/%C2%A7-2-109-briefs-constitutional-questions)
- [Nebraska Judicial Branch: § 2-103, General formatting and service rules](https://nebraskajudicial.gov/supreme-court-rules/chapter-2-appeals/article-1-nebraska-court-rules-appellate-practice/%C2%A7-2-103-general-formatting-and-service-rules)